How to: take 13 people camping

I am exhausted. In the emotionally, mentally, physically kind of way.

So, what better time to blog, eh?

The past two weeks have been ( and will continue to be) insane. I've been off camping in the woods with 10 of my students, am moving, getting ready for the worst planned audit ever, farming, getting ready for a friend's visit, a camping trip to see Dave Matthews and Ben Harper and potentially sleeping in the midst of all this.

Which brings me back to blogging. I searched high and low for a helpful page somewhere that would assist me in packing and planning food for this trip. No such luck, which is why next time you take 10 teens, 3 adults and 3 dogs camping come here first. I've got this down.

THE GEAR:

Camping stove and propane
Grill
Griddle
Pan
Soup pot
Coffee pot
Skewers
Marshmallow roasting spikes
Metal spatula
Metal tongs
Sharpest knife you can find
Pot holders
Tents
Sleeping bags & pads
Water cooler
Three coolers
Camping chairs
Foil
Zip locks
Wet wipes
Paper towels
Trashbags
Toilet paper
Sunscreen
Bug spray
Aloe
First Aid Kit
Flashlights
Lanterns
Scrubbing brush
Dish soap
Cord for washing line
Hammer/mallet for tent spikes
13 plates, bowls, cups, and cutlery(awesome enamel sets available everywhere)

THE GRUB:
6 loaves of bread
20 hotdog buns
13 tortillas
12 English muffins
2 boxes Graham crackers
3 bags of marshmallows
20 Hershey bars
12 chicken breasts
6 multi-color peppers
1 pineapple
4 boxes jumbalaya rice
1 bag coffee
1 box Swiss miss
1 container lemonade mix
2 packets bacon
4 dozen eggs
1 quart milk
6 onions
4 sticks butter
1 jar peanut butter
1 jar jelly
1 bottle olive oil
13 potatoes
13 corn cobs
20 bratwursts
1 block sharp cheddar
1 container thin sliced turkey
2 large bags salad mix
2 cantaloupe
1 watermelon
Salt
Pepper
Sugar

THE MENU:
Monday Evening - chicken kabobs and rice, salad, s'mores, coffee or cocoa

Tuesday Morning - bacon and eggs on toasted english muffins, cantaloupe, coffee.

Lunch- sandwich & fruit

Dinner - bratwurst, potatoes wrapped in foil and cooked on coals, corn halved and steamed in pot. Salad. S'mores. Cocoa.

Wednesday Breakfast - breakfast burritos filled with egg and potato hash using left over corn, potatoes, onions and any other veggies and cheese. Cantaloupe and watermelon.




The camping stove is a lifesaver in the mornings, for coffee and boiling water for dishes.

We also went through 12 cords of wood in three days. Perhaps a bit excessive, but the kids loved sitting up to the wee hours chatting around the fire.

Overall, an excellent trip, and now with my handy planning list I know what to pack next time! : )

The list is your friend.

Kitchen Ninja Out.